Air-ship.



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AIR SHIP.

(Application led Oct. 28, 190(.).)

2 Sheets-Sheet I (No Model.)

-NWFP THE cams PETERS cu., PHOTn-LIYHQ.. WASHINUTUN, n. c,

No. 695,580. Patented Mar. I8, |902@ C. M. RICHMOND.

AIR SHIP.

(lpplicixtion meld Oct. 26, 1900.)

2 sheets-'sheet 2;

am Mode-l.)

TML' Nmms P'EYERS co.. PHOTO-LI'TND., WASHINGTON. 'u4 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT CASSIUS -MvOh'l'lIilZUlVIA RICHMOND, OF NEIVYORK,`l N. Y.

lAIR-SHIP.

SPECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,580, dated March18, 1902. Application filed October 26. 1900. Serial No. 34,453l (Nomodel.)

To a/ZZ- whom tmc/y concern:

Be it known that I, Cassius MoNTnzUMA RICHMOND, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented a newand useful Improvement in Air-Ships, of which thefollowing is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in theart to which it appertains to make andA use the same.

1o My invention relates to aerial vessels; and the object thereof is toprovide an improved air ship, vessel, or machine which is able tonavigate the air and ascend and kdescend and to alter its direction atwill; and with these and other objectsin view the invention consists inan air ship or vessel constructed as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompazo nying drawings form a part, in which the separateparts of my improvement are designated by similar reference charactersin each of the views, and in which- A Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved air-ship; Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;Fig. 3, a plan view of the main frame of my improved air-ship on theline 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 a bottom plan view of said main frame onthe line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

3o In the practice of my invention I provide a mainframe which containspropelling apparatus, a steering device or devices, and other necessaryappurtenances of an aerial vessel and suspend said frame from a buoyantgas body or envelop or a plurality of gas bodies or envelops securedtogether, so as to form a buoyant body of a horizontal, dat, andotherwise peculiar form, which, like the aeroplane, can be easily drivenand turned with the least 4o possible resistance to the air or wind andwhich would tend to maintain its motion in any given direction, whetherhorizontal or at an inclination upward or downward, and I also suspendfrom the said main frame a car4 of the usual or any preferredconstruction and which in addition to carrying passengers may also carrya part of the propelling and steering apparatus, and within the saidmain frame I pivot oneor more aeroplanes, which 5o facilitate theoperation of the air ship or vessel.

The main frame of my improved air ship or vessel, which is designated inFigs. 1 and 2 by the reference character a, consists of a top horizontalportion 0,2 and a bottom portion a3, connected by corner-posts d4 andother Vertically-arranged posts a5, and the said frame is strengthenedand stiffened both at the ends and'sides by diagonally-arranged rods orbars a6, any desired number of which may be ern- 6o ployed, and all theparts of this frame may consist of metal tubes' or bamboo rods connectedinany desired manner, or said frame Inay be composed of any desiredmaterial.

Connected with the top horizontal portion. a of the main frame, asclearly shown in Fig.

3, are horizontal parallel Vrods b, which project beyond theends of themain frame and which are secured to said main Jframe in any desiredmanner, and the central rod b is pref- 7oerably longer than the twoadjoining rods on each side thereof, and the said adjoining rods arelonger than the main frame.

The buoyant body which I employ consists of a plurality of hollowcylindrical gas-envelops c, which are preferably tapered or pointed atthe ends and which are preferably iive in number and which alsopreferably decrease in size and .length from the center outwardly ortoward the sides, as is shown in 8o Figs. l and 2, and thesegas-envelops c may be composed of oil-silk, canvas, or any preferredmaterial, and said envelops, which are cylindrical in cross-section, aresecurely bound together and make up the buoyant body of my improvedair-ship, hereinbefore referred to. n

The separate members c of the buoyant body of the machine in addition tobeing se- 1 curely bound together are also firmly con- 9o nected withthe horizontal rods or bars b by means of strong cords or other flexibledevices 02, which also serve to bind the separate gas-envelops ctogether, so as to form said buoyant body.

IOO

shafts e may be operated by motors e3 or in any desired manner, and themotors e3 may be operated by steam or by electricity and in either eventwill be connected with a steamgenerator or generator of electricitylocated within the car d, as shown at e4, the connection of the motorse3 being indicated at e5. My invention, however, is not limited to themeans employed for operating the propellershafts e, and any suitabledevice or devices lnay be vemployed for this purpose. l

Mounted in the end of the main frame opposite that from which thepropeller-shafts project is a steering-shaft g, alsoV provided with apropeller g2, and that end of the ship or vessel in which thesteering-shaft g is mounted is the bow thereof, the propellershafts ebeing mounted in the stern. The propeller-shaft g passes through aswiveled support g3, and the inner end thereof is provided with a motorg4, and said inner end is free to swing horizontallyin segmental guidesg5, and connected with the inner end of said shaft are cords g, whichextend in opposite directions and pass around pulleys gl, from whichpoint they lead to a drum g8 in the car d, and by means of thisarrangement the steering-shaft g may be turned horizontally withoutinterfering with the operation of the propeller g2, said shaft beingfree to turn at all times. The motor g4 of the steering-shaft may beeither a steam or electric motor and is connected with a suitable sourceof power, either steam or electric, at e4 by means of a tube gg.

Secured to the horizontal top portion a2 0f the main frame is a sheet hof canvas or other suitable material, and a corresponding sheet h2 issecured to the bottom horizontal portion of the main frame, and saidsheets may be secured to said top and bottom portions of said frames inany desired manner and serve in the operation of said air ship or vesselas aeroplanes and aid in maintaining the ship or vessel in properposition and also facilitate the management thereof. I also pivot withinthe main frame cttwo aeroplanes 7c, which are substantially of the sameform as said frame and are free to swing vertically therein, the saidaeroplanes being pivoted at 7a2 centrally of the main frame, and theseaeroplanes 7c consist of frames of any suitable construction, providedeach with a sheet or covering 7c3 of canvas or any preferred or suitablematerial, and the ends of the aeroplanes 7c are connected, as shown at7a4, and said aeroplanes are thus compelled to swing together in avertical plane, and connected with the opposite ends of the bottomaeroplane are cords 705, which are passed around pulleys k6, connectedwith the bottom of the main frame,and from which they are passed to adrum or windlass k7 in the car d, on which they are wound in oppositedirections, and by turning the drum or windlass Win either direction oneend of the aeroplanes t will be drawn down and the other raised, thereverse movement of said aeroplanes being secured by reversing themovement of said drum or windlass.

The aeroplanes lo, mounted Within the main frame and free to swingvertically therein and in a line with the body portion of the ship orvessel, facilitate the movement ofthe latter, as will be readilyuuderstood,land act to control the movement thereof, the adjustment ofsaid aeroplanes serving to change the course of the vessel vertically orcause it to rise or descend, as may be desired.

It will be understood that the buoyant body, consisting of the separatemembers c, may be made of any desired length and dimensions, as may alsothe main frame a, and the remaining parts of the ship or vessel will becorrespondingly constructed, and various changes in and modifications ofthe construction herein described may be made without departing from thespirit of my invention or sacriticin g its advantages. It will also beapparent that the pivotally-supported aeroplanes 7c constitute the chieffeature of the construction and operative mechanism in changing thedirection of the vessel in a vertical line, while the stationaryaeroplanes at the top and bottom of the main frame facilitate themovement 0f the vessel in any particular direction and aid to keep itsteady and in proper line. I also preferably connect the ends of therods b, which form a part of the horizontal top portion of the mainframe, as shown at b2, so as to strengthen the ends of said rods orbars, and any suitable supports or sustaining devices may be providedfor the propeller-shafts e. It will also be understood that theseparat-e members c of the buoyant body, which support the main frame,may be iniiated with gas in any desired manner, and

the form of this body or the separate members thereof also facilitatesthe operation of the ship or vessel, and by reason of the form of suchbody or bodies the least possible resistance to the air or wind ispresented.

Although I have described the wheel g2, connected with thesteering-shaft g, as a propeller, it will be understood that the saidwheel operates as a rudder or steering device, and by means of the factthat the shaft g may be turned horizontally and the propellers e2revolve in opposite directions it will be apparent that the course ofthe air ship or vessel may be thus easily controlled.

Having thus fully described my invention, I desire to claim as new andsecure by Letters Patent- Y 1. A dying-machine comprising a buoyantbody, a main oblong and rectangular frame suspended from said body andthe top and bottom portions of which are parallel and formed intoaeroplanes, pivoted aeroplanes mounted centrally in said main frame,propelling devices mounted in one end ofv the main frame, asteering-shaft pivoted in the opposite end of the main frame and adaptedto swing in a horizontal plane, and a car suspended from the main frame,said pivoted IOD TIO

aeroplanes, said propelling devices and-said l devices mounted in theopposite ends of said steering-shaft being adapted to be operated i mainframe, pivoted aeroplanes mounted in v15 by a party or partiesWithinvthe car.

2. A iiyingmachine comprising a main buoyant body composed of aplurality of buoyant bodies bound together Vside by side each of whichis cylindrical in cross-section and pointed at both ends, the diameterand length of the separate buoyant bodies at each side and the centralbuoyantbody decreasing from the central buoyant body outwardlya mainoblon g rectangular frame suspended from the main buoyant body,propelling and steering said main frame longitudinally thereof andadapted to swing vertically therein, and means for operating thepropellingA and steering devices and the pivoted aeroplanes,substantially as shown anddeseribed.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set' my hand in presence of twoWitnesses.

CASSIUS MONTEZUMA RICHMOND.

Witnesses:

HUGO LEWISJBEIL,

ANNA SOPHIE BSING.'

